Art Božić naive art studio in Bale

Updated November 4, 2026.

Marija Peti-Božić paints in oils on glass and canvas in Bale. Her subjects include Podravina villages and Istrian kažun stone huts.

From Molve to the Istrian landscape

Originally from Molve in Podravina, the artist has lived and worked in Bale since 2008. Her village scenes, grain fields and farm animals draw on her home region, while in Istria she expanded her subjects to include kažun stone huts and olive trees.

She first exhibited in 1975 and became a professional painter in 1980. She came to Istria in 1995, continuing to work in the Podravina naive art tradition before settling in Bale.

Painting on the back of glass

She applies oil paint to the back of the glass, while the viewer sees the painting through the pane. In this technique, the artist paints the details that will remain visible at the front first and adds the background afterwards. The order matters because later layers of paint lie behind the details painted earlier.

For: first time visitors, history lovers, art lovers

Address: Castel 68, 52211 Bale, Istria, Croatia

What to do: art

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